Arrow tip having replaceable cutting blades

ABSTRACT

An arrow tip adapted to receive a plurality of replaceable cutting fins or blades comprises an elongated body member to which the replaceable blades are secured by means of a nose piece and snap ring. The body member has an external surface defining longitudinally extending grooves into which the replaceable blades are fitted. The blades may be formed from a section of an injector-type razor blade and are readily installed on or removed from the body member by means of the nose piece and snap ring. The snap ring rotates in a circumaxial groove in the tip and extends through an opening in each blade. A discontinuity in the ring is selectively registerable with each blade.

United States Patent Maleski Sept. 4, 1973 ARROW TIP HAVING REPLACEABLECUTTING BLADES [76] inventor: Richard C. Maleski, 211 Queen St.,

Bristol, Conn. 06010 [22] Filed: Apr. 15, I971 [21] Appl. No.: 134,188

(52] US. Cl... 273/1065 B [51] Int Cl. F4lb 5/02 [58] Field of Search273/1065 B [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,940,758 6/1960Richter 273/1065 B 3,021,138 2/1962 Smith 273/1065 B 3,036,395 5/1962Nelson 273/1065 B 2,930,620 3/1960 Brooks 273/1065 B PrimaryExaminerRichard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Paul E. ShapiroAttorney-McCormick, Paulding & Huber [57] ABSTRACT An arrow tip adaptedto receive a plurality of replaceable cutting fins or blades comprisesan elongated body member to whichthe replaceable blades are secured bymeans of a nose, piece and snap ring. The body member has an externalsurface defining longitudinally extending grooves into'which thereplaceable blades are fitted. The blades may be formed from a sectionof an injector-type razor blade and are readily installed on or removedfrom the body member by means of the nose piece and snap ring. The snapring rotates in a circumaxial groove in the tip and extends through anopening in each blade. A discontinuity in the ring is selectivelyregisterable with each blade.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Pmmmscr 4m 7 3756.600

4 FIG. 3

' D I I2 INVENTOR. RICHARD c MALESKI ATI'ORNEYS ARROW TIP I'IAVINGREPLACEABLE CUTTING BLADES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The presentinvention relates to the field of arrowheads or arrow tips and, moreparticularly, is concerned with broadhead arrow tips in which the finsor cutting blades are replaceable.

Arrow tips of the type to which the present invention is directed areused for hunting game and generally include a plurality of knife-edgedblades which increase penetration of the arrow and sever the veins andarteries of an animal to bring about a more rapid and more humane kill.It is important for maximum effect that the knife edges of the cuttingblades be extremely sharp so that the arrow will penetrate more easilyand insure a severing of veins and arteries. To obtain extremesharpness, it is known in broadhead arrow tips to employ safety razorblades which are normally provided with a finely honed cutting edge. Insome broadhead arrow tips, the blades are glued in place and the entiretip is discarded when the blades become dull. In others, such asdisclosed in US. Pat. No..2,880,000, the razor blades are replaceable.

Broadhead arrow tips which are adapted to receive replaceable blades,are advantageous for several reasons. Firstly, the blades can" bereplaced whenever they become dull and, therefore, a sharp head iseasily maintained. Secondly, the replaceable blades can be removed whenthe arrow is in storage so that injuries from an otherwise sharpinstrument can be avoided. Furthermore, the broadhead arrow tips withthe replaceable cutting blades removed can be used for practice shootingwithout causing extensive damage tothe target or dulling the head. Ofcourse removing the' blades results in a change in the weight of thearrow which can cause slightly different flight characteristics and,therefore, from the bowmans standpoint, it is desirable to have abroadhead arrow tip construction which provides a minimum net change inweight when the cutting blades are removed for practice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention resides in an arrow tipadapted to receive a plurality of replaceable cutting blades and thusform a broadhead arrow tip. The arrow tip includes an elongated bodyhaving coaxial front and rear end portions and a plurality oflongitudinal bladereceiving grooves extending along its periphery incircumferentially spaced relationship. The body also has annular grooveextending circumaxially about the body and intersecting each of theplurality of blade-receiving grooves. A blade locking member having anannular shape, suchas such as example a snap ring, extends around thebody in the annular groove to engage a plurality of the replaceablecutting blades mounted 34 the body. Blade retaining means is connectedto the front end portion of the body and cooperates with each of theplurality of blade-receiving grooves to hold the replaceable cuttingblades. The cutting blades have attachment apertures which register withthe annular groove when mounted in the body portion and tips engaged bythe retaining means. The blades are easily removed, replaced, orinstalled by moving the annular locking member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of abroadhead arrow tip embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the arrow tip shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the broadhead arrow tip shownin FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the broadhead arrow tip as seenalong the sectioning line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIGS. 1-4 show an arrow tip,generally designated 10, which is adapted to receive three replaceablecutting blades 12, 12 to form a broadhead arrow tip. The arrow tip 10 isshown mounted at the forward end of an arrow shaft shown in part forconvenience.

The arrow tip 10 comprises an elongated body member 16, a nose peice l8and a resilient snap ring 20. The body member 16 is cylindrical and theintermediate portion of the body tapers inwardly toward the frontportion 24 which is also cylindrical. Th rear portion of the body member16 defines an axially extending mounting bore 22 which permits themember to be mounted at the forward end of the arrow shaft 14. Thecylindrical front portion 24 projects coaxially from the forward end ofthe member 16 and serves as a support for the nose piece 18.

. The nose piece 18 has the external shape of a pointed projectile andmates at its rear extremity with the tapered external surface of thebody member 16. The rear portion of the noxe piece is formed as aninternally chamfered skirt section 26 which contains a central, mountingbore 28 reamed to a size permitting the nose piece to be press fittedonto the projecting body portion 24.. e

As seen most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of longitudinallyextending grooves 34 are formed in the external surface of the bodymember 16 to receive the replaceable blades 12. The grooves 34 areequally circumfe'rentially spaced and extend from the forward end of thebody member 16 adjacent the rear end of the nose piece 18 along thetapered external surface of the member toward the rear portion of themember. The grooves have a width which accommodates the cutting blades12 and support the blades so that they project radially from the member16. It is contemplated that broadhead arrow tips having two or morereplaceable blades can be formed according to the present invention byproviding a number of longitudinal grooves corresponding to the numberof blades.

At a position between the front and rear end portions of the body member16, and annular groove 36 extends circumaxially about the body memberand intersects each of the longitudinally extending grooves 34. Thewidth of the annular groove 36 is approximately equal to the width ofthe' snap ring 20 so that the ring 20 can be accommodated within thegroove and resiliently engages the body member 16 in the groove toprevent it from shifting in the axial direction along the member.

In accordance with the present invention, the replaceable cutting blades12 are secured to the body' member 16 by means of the nose piece 18 andthe snap ring 20. The blades 12 may be formed from safety razor bladesby sectioning the blades along a diagonal so that the cutting edges ofthe blades, when mounted in the longitudinal grooves 34, are at an angleto the axis of the body member and taper away from the outer surface ofthe body member at the front end portion. The blades are sectioned sothat an attachment aperture 42 registers with the circumaxial slot 36and permits the snap ring 20 to be laced through each of the blades atthe forward end of the aperture to lock the blades to the body member16. in addition, the pointed forward ends or tips 44 of the bladesections are cut at an angle which permits the tips 44 to projectforwardly through the grooves 34 into the rearward facing opening of theskirt section 26 of the nose piece 18 when the attachment apertures 42are engaged by the snap ring 20. The skirt section 26 therefore,captures each of the blades 12 at their tips 44 and prevents the bladesfrom being dislodged from the grooves 34 at the forward end of the arrowtip 10.

It will also be noted that the longitudinally extending grooves 34 arerecessed into the body member 16 at a depth slightly greater than thecircumaxial groove 36. As a consequence, the blades 12 rest in themember 16 at a slightly greater depth than the snap ring 20 and the snapring 20 remains engaged with the annular groove 36. With the snap ring20 laced through the blades 12 at the forward end of the attachmentapertures 42 and also engaged with the annular groove to prevent it fromshifting axially along the body mmber 16, the blades 12 are preventedfrom shifting in the longitudinal direction and, the blade tips 44 cannot be disengaged from the skirt section 26 of nose piece 18. The blades12, therefore, are firmly locked in the body member 16 by the snap ring20.

Removal of the cutting blades 12 from the arrow tip is readilyaccomplished by means of the snap ring 20. As seen most clearly in FIG.4, the snap ring 20 has a discontinuity or missing segment forming a gap50 which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, is slightlylarger than the width of a cutting blade 12. The ring 20 is rotated inthe annular groove 36 of the body member 16 until the gap 50 registerswith one of the longitudinal grooves 34. The cutting blade 12 in thatone groove is then shafted slightly rearwardly to disengage the tip 44and is lifted out of the groove 34 and away from the body member 16. Theprocess is repeated for each of the other blades until all of the bladesare removed. Since the snap ring 20 and nose piece 18 remain attached tothe body member 16, the net change in weight of the arrow tip 10associated with the removal of all blades 12 is limited to the combinedweight of the blades themselves and the principal weight of thebroadhead tip found in the body member 16, the nose piece 18 and thesnap ring 20 remains attached to the arrow shaft. With the bladesremoved, the arrow tip maintains its streamlined configuration and thenose piece 18 provides a point which is adequate for penetratingpractice targets.

installation of the cutting blades 12 is also a simple operation. Withthe gap 50 of the snap ring 20 registering with a groove 34, a blade 12is installed in the groove 34 with the blade tip projecting into theskirt section 26 of nose piece 18. The snap ring 20 is then rotatedthrough the attachment aperture 42 until the gap 50 registers with thenext groove. As each blade is installed, it is individually locked inplace and remains so positioned without any cooperation from blades inthe other longitudinal grooves 34. When all of the blades 12 areinstalled, the snap ring 20 is rotated to place the gap 50 between twoof the grooves 34 as seen in FIG. 4 and the assembled broadhead is readyfor use.

It will thus be seen that the arrow tip 10 is readily adapted to theinstallation and removal of replaceable cutting blades and that theblades once installed are securely anchored to the arrow tip to form awell balanced, light weight construction.

I claim:

1. An arrow tip adapted to receive a plurality of replaceable cuttingblades comprising: an elongated body having coaxial front and rear endportions and a plurality of blade-receiving grooves extending along theperiphery of the body from the front end portion toward the rear endportion, the body also having another groove extending circumaxiallyaround the body; blade locking means having an annular shape andextending around the body in the circumaxial groove, the locking meanshaving a discontinuity and being rotatable in the circumaxial groovebetween positions about the body to register the discontinuityindividually with each blade and lock or unlock a blade in a selectedbladereceiving groove at each position; and blade retaining meansconnected to the front end portion of the body and cooperating with eachof the plurality of bladereceiving grooves in the body for holdingreplaceable blades at the front end portion of the body.

2. An arrow tip as defined in claim 1 wherein said blade retaining meanscomprises a nose piece connected to and projecting axially from theforward end portion of the elongated body.

3. An arrow tip as defined in claim 2 wherein the nose piece has atrailing skirt portion defining an opening registering with theplurality of the blade-receiving grooves at the front end portion of thebody.

4. An arrow tip as defined in claim 1 wherein the rear end portion ofthe body defines a mounting bore extending axially within the rear endportion.

5. An arrow tip as defined in claim 1 wherein the blade locking meanscomprises a resilient snap ring mating with the circumaxial groove.

6. An arrow tip as defined in claim 1 wherein the circumaxial groove ofthe elongated body intersects each of the blade-receiving grooves.

7. A broadhead arrow tip comprising: an elongated body member having alongitudinal body axis and a plurality of grooves extendinglongitudinally along the outer surface of the body member, the outersurface also including a circumaxial groove intersecting thelongitudinal grooves; a plurality of cutting blades positionedrespectively in the plurality of longitudinal grooves and projectingradially from the body member, each blade having a projecting cuttingedge extending at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the body memberfrom a blade tip adjacent one axial end of the body member, and anattachment aperture registering with the circumaxial groove; aresilient, split ring rotatably mounted on the body member in thecircumaxial groove and extending through each one of the attachmentapertures in the cutting blades for rotatable movement to align thesplit in the ring with a selected blade for individual disengagement ofthe selected blade and the ring; and a fastening secured to said oneaxial end of the body member and engaging the blade tips of the cuttingblades.

8. A broadhead arrow tip as defined in claim 7 wherein the fastening hasa projectile shape and extends coaxially of the body member from saidone axial end.

9. A broadhead arrow tip as defined in claim 8 wherein the body memberhas an axially extending wherein the longitudinal grooves of the bodymember have a greater depth below the surface of the body member thanthe circumaxial groove at the intersecmounting bore at the axial endopposite the fastening. 5 ions of the grooves- 10. A broadhead arrow tipas defined in claim 7

1. An arrow tip adapted to receive a plurality of replaceable cuttingblades comprising: an elongated body having coaxial front and rear endportions and a plurality of blade-receiving grooves extending along theperiphery of the body from the front end portion toward the rear endportion, the body also having another groove extending circumaxiallyaround the body; blade locking means having an annular shape andextending around the body in the circumaxial groove, the locking meanshaving a diScontinuity and being rotatable in the circumaxial groovebetween positions about the body to register the discontinuityindividually with each blade and lock or unlock a blade in a selectedbladereceiving groove at each position; and blade retaining meansconnected to the front end portion of the body and cooperating with eachof the plurality of blade-receiving grooves in the body for holdingreplaceable blades at the front end portion of the body.
 2. An arrow tipas defined in claim 1 wherein said blade retaining means comprises anose piece connected to and projecting axially from the forward endportion of the elongated body.
 3. An arrow tip as defined in claim 2wherein the nose piece has a trailing skirt portion defining an openingregistering with the plurality of the blade-receiving grooves at thefront end portion of the body.
 4. An arrow tip as defined in claim 1wherein the rear end portion of the body defines a mounting boreextending axially within the rear end portion.
 5. An arrow tip asdefined in claim 1 wherein the blade locking means comprises a resilientsnap ring mating with the circumaxial groove.
 6. An arrow tip as definedin claim 1 wherein the circumaxial groove of the elongated bodyintersects each of the blade-receiving grooves.
 7. A broadhead arrow tipcomprising: an elongated body member having a longitudinal body axis anda plurality of grooves extending longitudinally along the outer surfaceof the body member, the outer surface also including a circumaxialgroove intersecting the longitudinal grooves; a plurality of cuttingblades positioned respectively in the plurality of longitudinal groovesand projecting radially from the body member, each blade having aprojecting cutting edge extending at an angle to the longitudinal axisof the body member from a blade tip adjacent one axial end of the bodymember, and an attachment aperture registering with the circumaxialgroove; a resilient, split ring rotatably mounted on the body member inthe circumaxial groove and extending through each one of the attachmentapertures in the cutting blades for rotatable movement to align thesplit in the ring with a selected blade for individual disengagement ofthe selected blade and the ring; and a fastening secured to said oneaxial end of the body member and engaging the blade tips of the cuttingblades.
 8. A broadhead arrow tip as defined in claim 7 wherein thefastening has a projectile shape and extends coaxially of the bodymember from said one axial end.
 9. A broadhead arrow tip as defined inclaim 8 wherein the body member has an axially extending mounting boreat the axial end opposite the fastening.
 10. A broadhead arrow tip asdefined in claim 7 wherein the longitudinal grooves of the body memberhave a greater depth below the surface of the body member than thecircumaxial groove at the intersections of the grooves.